Adventure

The Great British Cycling Tour Returns – Definitely!

I’ve done it! In our COVID world of 2020, having no accommodation booked in advance is not the best option for a touring cyclist so I have spent a few days sorting out my overnight stays. As you can see it will be a mixture of Warmshowes, campsites, youth hostels and one night with a friend in my old stomping ground of Reading. Some cheap – very cheap! – train tickets have been purchased and all I need to do now is start pedalling…

DateFromTokmNotes
Monday 24thHuddersfieldLiverpoolTrain
LiverpoolPrestatyn71Warmshowers host
Tuesday 25thPrestatynHolyhead75Warmshowers host
Wednesday 26thHolyheadCaernarfon93Warmshowers host
Thursday 27thCaernarfonDolgellau80Torrent Walk Campsite
Friday 28thDolgellauLlanidloes62Dol-Llys Farm Campsite
Saturday 29thLlanidloesGlasbury67River Cabin Camping
Sunday 30thGlasburyCardiff97Sleeperz Hotel
Monday 31stCardiffBath94YHA Bath
Tuesday 1stBathReading127Friend’s house
Wednesday 2ndReadingLondon74YHA Central London
Thursday 3rdLondonHalifaxTrain home

…but going back to the cost thing; this is something that I don’t usually manage to work out in advance but this time I can and it really does show how money can be saved if you travel by bicycle and are willing to camp for some of the time. Here is the cost breakdown:

DateDestinationTravel / AccommodationCost
Monday 24thLiverpoolTrain (Trans Pennine)ยฃ11
PrestatynWarmshowers hostยฃ0
Tuesday 25thHolyheadWarmshowers hostยฃ0
Wednesday 26thCaernarfonWarmshowers hostยฃ0
Thursday 27thDolgellauTorrent Walk Campsiteยฃ10
Friday 28thLlanidloesDol-Llys Farm Campsiteยฃ9
Saturday 29thGlasburyRiver Cabin Campingยฃ10
Sunday 30thCardiffSleeperz Hotelยฃ42
Monday 31stBathYHA Bathยฃ39
Tuesday 1stReadingFriend’s houseยฃ0
Wednesday 2ndLondonYHA Central Londonยฃ35
Thursday 3rdHalifaxTrain home (Grand Central)ยฃ28

So for the accommodation, that’s an average of ยฃ15 per night and for the train travel just ยฃ39. When I took the train from Liverpool to Huddersfield a couple of weeks ago with the bike, I paid ยฃ32 by purchasing the ticket on the day itself. Most LNER trains quote prices from Kings Cross to West Yorkshire well in excess of ยฃ100; choosing to go with Grand Central and getting the same journey for ยฃ28 is the bargain of the trip!

The downside of booking in advance is the loss of flexibility but needs must…

Categories: Adventure, Cycling, Travel

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6 replies »

    • I have to say that it takes an element of ‘worry’ out of the daily cycling and it was interesting comparing the first half of the trip to Edinburgh and Belfast where I had pre-booked campsites with the second half when I was booking accommodation as I cycled. I ended up taking last-minute options which increased the cycling / cost / hassle… But it’s not something I could do on a very long trip.

  1. Looks good. Half heartedly looking at the Wales N-S myself so will interested in your blog.

    • Watch this space! I should be following the Lon Las Cymru pretty much continuously from Holyhead to Cardiff. All the accommodation that I have booked is very close to my route. I’ll try and keep you updated. ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. Looks a great trip! That Wales End-to-End is definitely on my radar too (albeit Chepstow to Holyhead). Taking all the camping gear is a bit of a faff but that extra flexibility (mixing outdoors with indoors) is priceless. And like you, I’m quite happy to travel fully loaded and leisurely. I look forward to reading the blog and seeing the videos! (And I hope you get better weather than on the Edinburgh trip…)

What do you think?